In this file photo, Lakers' coach Mike D'Antoni looks up at the scoreboard during a timeout against the Jazz in an NBA Western Conference game at the Staples Center on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014, in Los Angeles, Calif. The Lakers lost 79-96. Now, they are 22-44 and are the first NBA team eliminated from playoff contention. (Photo by Steve McCrank/Daily Breeze)

In this file photo, Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni reacts after assistant coach Kurt Rambis, left, was called for a technical foul in an NBA game against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, March 14, 2014, in San Antonio. The Lakers lost 119-89. (Bahram Mark Sobhani/The Associated Press)

The chants are loud and unforgiving, ringing throughout Staples Center as Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni witnesses his injury-riddled roster labor through another loss.

“We want Phil!” they yell, a constant call for Phil Jackson to restore the Lakers to NBA championship prosperity after once guiding them to five of them.

Kobe Bryant’s words seemed both honest and biting when he cited D’Antoni as one example of how the Lakers’ front office needs to provide a stronger vision in fixing this once-storied franchise.

“What do they want to do with Mike?” Bryant asked rhetorically last week in a press conference that started with his season-ending left knee injury and shifted toward a blistering critique of Lakers management.

The frustrations continue on the airwaves, Twitter and message boards, where mostly anyone with an opinion pleads for D’Antoni to change his fast-paced, perimeter-oriented system and alter his rotations. The most common sentiment also calls for D’Antoni’s firing.

D’Antoni remains upset, too.

The Lakers (22-44) will enter Wednesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs (49-16) at Staples Center as the first NBA team this season officially eliminated from the playoffs, marking only the fifth time in franchise history the Lakers have ended a season this way. D’Antoni has called the current stretch the toughest season in his head-coaching career that also included stops with the Phoenix Suns (2003-08) and New York Knicks (2008-12).

“I don’t want to reflect now because I’m still in the middle of it,” D’Antoni said. “We’re just trying to do the best job we can do and help these guys out and try to develop some guys. I’m not reflecting. I don’t have time. It’s not fair for anybody to reflect.”

The reflections within the Lakers organization, however, suggest they share a more nuanced view toward D’Antoni. Some consider the circumstances he’s handled through two seasons that involved endless injuries and persistent roster turnover. Some recognize how D’Antoni has elevated certain players to unforeseen heights. Some believe he has alienated others. And each perspective seemingly depends on which person speaks.

Tough circumstances

The most pressing question, of course, surrounds D’Antoni’s future.

Will D’Antoni stay after this season? According to sources familiar with the situation, the answer is not concrete.

One league source said the Lakers have not offered any indication D’Antoni’s job has become in jeopardy. Yet, the Lakers do not plan to evaluate D’Antoni until after this season ends on April 16. They may not decide definitely then, either.

Plenty of complicating variables remain.

How will the Lakers approach this offseason? Will they spend conservatively to maximize purchasing power for the 2015 free agency class? Or will they follow Bryant’s demands that they somehow build a championship-contending roster next season, despite challenges arising from his two-year, $48.5 million extension and harsher penalties stemming from the new labor deal?

D’Antoni has two years left on his contract, though next season is the only one guaranteed at $4 million. If the Lakers fire him, the move would sap the organization of even more spending resources. That would also mark the Lakers having four different coaches in the past five seasons, perhaps leading toward more instability. Jackson, who just accepted a front office role with the New York Knicks, will not salvage the Lakers.

“It’s not my place to have a sense,” D’Antoni said about his coaching future. “My job is to finish up the year as good as we can, develop these guys, get some consistency in guys. Then everybody huddles at the end of the year, and we see what happens.”

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has consistently defended D’Antoni. After all, the Lakers have fielded a roster that missed a combined 245 games because of injuries. The most notable include future Hall of Famers in Bryant (left Achilles tendon, fractured left knee) and Steve Nash (nerve irritation in back and hamstrings), who have appeared in a combined 16 games. The current roster also mostly features players that lacked significant roles elsewhere. Both factors contributed to the Lakers fielding 29 different starting lineups.

“Under very trying circumstances, I think he’s done a great job,” Kupchak said last month about D’Antoni. “Our players continue to play as hard as possible and compete in every game.”

Equal opportunity

Many of those players never had such chances beforehand.

Xavier Henry, Wesley Johnson and Kendall Marshall were all considered first-round busts before joining the Lakers this season.

Though he was sidelined for 29 games because of a bone bruise in his right knee, Henry morphed from a training camp invitee to a dependable wing player with strong driving and athletic abilities.

Johnson has become erratic, but he has thrived occasionally under D’Antoni’s vision as an undersized power forward who uses his quickness and length to overmatch bulkier frontcourt players.

Marshall became the Lakers’ starting point guard because of a depleted backcourt, but kept the position after proving himself with outside shooting (43.3 percent) and passing (9.4 assists per game).

“I like the confidence he gives me,” Marshall said of D’Antoni. “He puts a lot of faith in me out there on the court and lets me play through mistakes.”

Lakers guard Jordan Farmar opted out of the second year of his contract with a Turkish club that paid him $10.5 million through three seasons to play for the Lakers for one season worth $1 million. After feeling restricted under Phil Jackson’s triangle offense through four seasons here, Farmar returned to the Lakers because he loved the playmaking opportunities under D’Antoni’s faster-paced offense.

Despite being a second-round draft pick, rookie Ryan Kelly soon found a role because of his floor spacing and shooting. After having a small role in Golden State, Kent Bazemore has thrived as an energetic presence.

Nick Young arrived with the Lakers as a player consumed with only offense. Because D’Antoni has let Young shoot at a high volume that spurred a second-best 16.8 points per game average, Young said he feels more inclined to hustle on defense. After spending his first season under D’Antoni last season as a streaky shooter, Lakers guard Jodie Meeks credited his positive reinforcement in shaping him into a more complete player.

“I love him as a coach,” said Meeks, who has averaged a career-high 15.3 points this season on 45.7 percent shooting. “I love playing for him. He’s real easy to get along with and he lets you go out there and play freely.”

A different view

Other players do not gush as much about D’Antoni.

Both Jordan Hill and Chris Kaman erupted in laughter when a reporter approached them last month inquiring about D’Antoni’s system.

“As a five man, I’m cool with it,” said Hill, who has averaged 8.2 points and 6.8 rebounds, but has faced a diminished role because of D’Antoni’s preference for a smaller lineup. “I love the system.”

When asked what Hill liked about it, Kaman interrupted.

“Everything,” said Kaman sarcastically, his laughter masking a frustrating season in which he has missed 32 games. “Everything. I love it. It’s awesome.”

Hill and Kaman have expressed frustration with their reduced role, which D’Antoni attributed to Robert Sacre’s superior defense. The plus-minus ratings also show the Lakers perform better this season with smaller lineups.

But both Hill and Kaman have mostly talked about their playing time and shied away from questioning D’Antoni’s coaching.

Bryant and Pau Gasol have not been as diplomatic, eager for a slower-paced offense that once helped them team up for two NBA championships.

“It’s more of a finesse game,” Bryant said earlier this season. “It’s more small ball, which, personally, I don’t really care much for. I like kind of smash-mouth, old-school basketball because that’s what I grew up watching.”

A season after facing a reduced role to accommodate Dwight Howard, Gasol has become the focal point on offense this season. But he has often argued the Lakers playing at the NBA’s second-fastest pace has played a large part in ranking 29th out of 30 NBA teams team defense (allowing 108.4 points per game).

Gasol also has questioned D’Antoni’s preference for smaller lineups and outside shooting over bigger lineups and post play.

“He believes in his system and offense that doesn’t work particularly great with the style I’m used to and believe in,” said Gasol, who still has averaged 21.6 points per game on 52.6 percent shooting in the past month. “There’s been more compromise and trying to find a middle ground.”

There’s other issues.

Farmar recently urged his teammates to work more within D’Antoni’s system to feature Gasol more in the post. Although most players fault themselves for the team’s defensive lapses, they suggested D’Antoni’s recent proclamation that he devotes 75 percent of his practices to defense is exaggerated.

After once running D’Antoni’s offense well enough to earn two MVP awards in Phoenix, Nash sounded frustrated about the varying agendas.

“By playing Mike’s system, you can go up to Portland and win. You play against Oklahoma City, and you win,” Nash said, referring to the Lakers’ recent upsets against two Western Conference powerhouses. “The roster is decimated and we can still get key wins by playing that way. I can understand everyone has their opinion. But let’s hold on now.”

The future

Will the Lakers feel the same way? Or will they conclude they made a mistake in hiring D’Antoni?

How this plays out remains to be seen. So instead, D’Antoni vows he’ll continuously fight during a lost season with the same passion he has asked from his team.

“That’s my job, first of all,” D’Antoni said. “That’s all our jobs. We will do it. We have good guys. It’s not lack of trying or they don’t care. They care a lot.

Mark Medina has been the Lakers beat writer for the Los Angeles Daily News since 2012. He also works as a Lakers insider for AM570 and is heard on national radio outlets, including The Dan Patrick Show, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, The Chris Mannix Show, Fox Sports Radio, CBS Sports Radio, Yahoo! Sports Radio and SB Nation Radio. Medina also appears frequently on Spectrum SportsNet and NBC4's "Going Roggin."

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